Does Dreaming Spires prepare you for A-level?

Here is the testimony of a student who spent the last three years as a Dreaming Spires English student, and is now studying A-levels at a comprehensive in north Oxford with a reputation of academic excellence.

• I just wanted to send you a message to thank you for the last three years of teaching. I have started my English Lit A-Level this month, and have fully realised how lucky I was to have such wonderful education. I've now seen how much of your teaching directly went against how English lit is done in schools, and must say your way is preferable... 

• We have five hours of class time a week and I've been at school since the first week of September, we have read only the first three scenes of Dr Faustus in that time, and have been handed every piece of analysis we need. I've only been asked to write one paper, but it was a paper just on the first two pages of the chorus... Which was difficult as the question would have been better answered in reference to the whole play. 

• We one time spent a two hour lesson just coming up with good words to use when analysing something... It is certainly a very different experience to Dreaming Spires... 

The student went on to ask how she might maintain her enthusiasm for English when the progress in class is so slow and elementary. I suggested using her time in copying the work they're studying as per Charlotte Mason copywork, and in honing her note-taking skills.

She replied that the next two texts are ones she has already studied in the past, so is anticipating that she'll produce rather a large tome of copywork during her year as an A-level student.

So glad that Dreaming Spires makes A-level seem so easy!